Converting Your Traditional Resume
to An ASCII Resume

by Linda Matias

Step One: Open your resume file.

Step Two: Using your “Save As” function, save your resume as a “text only” file with “line breaks” (click on the drop down arrow in the Save As type box and select “text only with line breaks”. Save and close the file.

At this point your computer will warn you that the document may “contain features that are not compatible with text only format. Do you want to save the document in this format.” Click yes.

After you have saved the file, you will notice that the resume still looks the same. That is O.K.. Just close the file.

Step Three: Now open the text only file in WordPad. To find WordPad, click on “Start”, then click on “Programs”, then click on “Accessories”, then click on WordPad.

Step Four: Review your resume and replace all unsupported characters. For example, bullets may turn into question marks; apostrophes may turn into square blocks. You will need to replace these characters. You can use an asterisk ( * ) to replace bullets.

You'll also notice that your original format has been altered. Some sentences may be staggered, the font has been changed to courier, and your fancy formatting has disappeared.

Clean up your resume as needed.

Step Five: Save the file.

Step Six: When you are ready to apply for a job online, reopen the text file in WordPad and copy and paste your document into the body of an email. Or if you are applying for a position on an organizations web site, copy and paste the resume when asked to “paste your resume below”.

Converting your traditional resume into an e-resume is not as difficult as it sounds. Trust me. When to Use your Electronic Resume

An electronic resume is used to apply for jobs online and when emailing your resume to a prospective employers. All you have to do is copy and paste your new ASCII resume onto the body of the e-mail, not as an attachment, as most companies will not open attachments because of viruses.

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Recognized as a career expert, Linda Matias brings a wealth of experience to the career services field. She has been sought out for her knowledge of the employment market, outplacement, job search strategies, interview preparation, and resume writing, quoted a number of times in The Wall Street Journal, New York Newsday, Newsweek, and HR-esource.com. She is President of CareerStrides and the National Resume Writers’ Association. Visit her website at www.careerstrides.com or email her at linda@careerstrides.com.